【推荐1】When I walk down the street in Changsha in summer, It’s quite difficult for me to find out my way. Why? Because there are so many umbrellas (雨伞) in the street.

Before I come to China, I never saw people taking umbrellas on sunny days. But in China, women take umbrellas when it’s raining. Later, I know why.

Firstly, it keeps people away from the sunshine. Changsha gets hot in summer. People sometimes take umbrellas to stay cool. But if umbrellas help us stay cool, why don’t men take them? That’s because keeping away from the sun helps women’s skin (皮肤) stay pale (白皙的). In China, people think pale white skin for women is more beautiful than tanned (晒成棕色的) skin. However, women in the US like to be tanned. Some people will stay outdoors in the sun for hours to get a tan. But doing this much can be dangerous. It's bad for the skin.

China isn't the only place where women take umbrellas on sunny days. Women in Greece( 希腊) also do this. So umbrellas aren't just for rainy days.

1. The first paragraph (段落) tells us that

A．the writer can't find his way home

B．there are many umbrellas in the street

C．it often rains in Changsha

2. How did the writer feel when he saw people take umbrellas on sunny days for the first time?

A．Curious(好奇的)

B．Unhappy

C．Excited

3. Why do Chinese women like taking umbrellas on sunny days?

A．Because there is a lot of rain in China

B．Because there are many free umbrellas in the street.

C．Because it can help them keep pale skin

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．People think tanned skin is beautiful in the US.

B．Men in Greece take umbrellas on sunny days

C．Staying in the sun for a long time is good for the skin.

5. Where can the writer come from?

A．China

B．The US

C．Greece

【推荐2】Qiao is a sixth-grader at Yuhui Primary School. He is only 12 years old but has been smoking for three years.

Liu, 15, is a Junior 2 student at Chicheng No.2 High School. He began smoking four years ago. “Smoking is part of my life,” Liu said.

Qiao and Liu are not those boys’ real names. But their problem, smoking, is a very real problem. In many countries, smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people. Most smokers start in their teens (years of a person’s age from 13 to 19) or earlier. A study of 8000 Beijing students last May told us that smoking is a problem for many Chinese kids. More than 21% of high school students and 6% of primary school pupils said they smoked.

“If young people start smoking early, they will probably get addicted (上瘾) to nicotine (尼古丁). And it will be very hard to give up later on.”

Every year, about four million people die because of smoking. And if people keep smoking, the number will go up to about 10 million a year by 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO, 世界卫生组织) says. So we have to learn and tell others about the dangers of smoking.

1. The sentence “Smoking is part of my life.” probably means “______”.

A．I don’t smoke very often.	B．smoking is very important to me.
C．I don’t smoke at all.	D．I’m going to give up smoking.

2. What will probably happen if a person starts smoking early?

A．He will surely die early.	B．He cannot stop smoking.
C．It will be difficult for him to give up smoking.	D．He will become lazy soon.

3. The main idea of this passage is that ______.

A．smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people

B．many people die because of smoking every year

C．who asks young people to give up smoking

D．nicotine makes people addicted

4. As high school students, what should we do from now on?

A．We should start smoking after high school.	B．We should ask others to smoke outside.
C．We should laugh at smokers.	D．We should say no to smoking.

5. The study in the passage shows that ______.

A．smoking is a serious problem among Chinese students

B．there are more and more smokers in China

C．some student smokers have already been seriously addicted

D．most of smokers are young students

【推荐3】Most people want to work, but in today’s world ,it is more difficult to find work for everybody.The economics of the world need to grow by 4% each year just to keep the old number of jobs for people.

Often this is not possible,and so more people are out of work.

Some people have no jobs now because new machines can do the work of many people do in a short time.Also, machines do not ask for more money and longer holidays. In all the countries of the world, machines are taking work from people ,not only in factories but also on the farms.

One machine can often do the work of forty people. About 75,000 people are moving to the cities a day to look for jobs ,but only 70% of them can find jobs .

1. The economics of the world need to grow to______.

A．get more money	B．keep the old number of jobs of people
C．make new machines	D．let people look for jobs

2. Some people are out of work because _______.

A．of the machines

B．they are old

C．they ask for more money and longer holidays

D．they want to move to the cities

3. About machines,which of the following is NOT　RIGHT?________.

A．Machines can do the work of many people do in a short time.

B．Machines do not ask for more money and holidays.

C．Two machines can do the work of eighty people.

D．Machines can’t’t take work from people at all.

4. How many people can’t find jobs every day _______?

A．75,000

B．52500

C．22500

D．52500

5. From the passage, we know _______.

A．it’s not possible for everybody to find work.

B．Machines can only take work from people in factories.

C．In the future , there will be enough jobs for everybody

D．Machines will do the work instead of people

【推荐2】When we are born, we are given names that stay with us for our whole lives. Some names include(包括) wishes and hopes from parents, while others may be special and easy to remember. But do you know how the new coronavirus got its name?

According to International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, an organization responsible(负责的) for naming new viruses(病毒), the task of naming a virus is no less important than naming a person.

Over the past decade, some improper names have caused problems. In 2009, the “swine flu” was widely used before the official name, HINI virus, was announced(宣告). This led Egypt to kill all of it pigs even though it appeared and spread(传播) among people who hadn’t been near pigs. In 2015, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) caused some actions against the nations and people of this area.

So in 2015, the World Health Organization(WHO) announced that the names of viruses should be easy to remember but avoid being named after geographic locations, people, species or classes of animals and foods.

Following these rules, the new coronavirus we are suffering from was named “COVID-19” by the WHO on Feb.11. In this name, “CO” means “corona”, “VI” stands for “virus” and “D” means “disease”.

Next time you read about a virus you don’t know, you may get some clues about it from its name.

1. Why does the writer write the first paragraph?

A．Because he wants to lead in the topic of the text.

B．Because he wants to show his feelings.

C．Because he wants to remind the readers of their names.

D．Because he wants to tell us the background (背景) of names.

2. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Naming a virus is as important as naming a person.

B．Naming a virus is less important than naming a person.

C．Naming a virus is the most important thing for a person.

D．Naming a virus is more important than naming a person.

3. Which of the following is an official name of a virus?

A．Swine flu.	B．World Health Organization.
C．Coronavirus.	D．COVID-19.

4. What do we know about the “Swine flue” and “MERS”?

A．They both broke out in Middle East.	B．They both spread among pigs.
C．They were both improper names.	D．They both appeared in the same year.

5. What is the main idea of this text?

A．How did the new coronavirus get its name?

B．How does WHO deal with virus?

C．What have virus have done to the world?

D．Why does a new virus have a name?

【推荐3】Is there a connection between music and language? According to recent studies, the answer is yes. Here, let’s look at the following two.

Music and Hearing

A recent study by researcher Nina Kraus shows that playing a musical instrument can make a person’s hearing ability become better. In the study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group weren’t. The musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

Think about violinists in a show. When they play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others, too. But the violinists must listen closely to what they are playing, and leave out the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to focus on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise.

Music and Speaking

Gottfried Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with stroke (中风) patients. Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information normally. However, they can still sing. Dr. Schlaug was surprised to find that singing words helped his patients to finally speak. Why does this work? Schlaug isn’t sure. Music seems to help patients to use the brain again.

From the results, we can know that music is a good influence on concentration, the ability to focus on one thing. It works on listening and speaking skills as well. Playing an instrument or singing can help us do better in school as well. So music is not only enjoyable, it’s also good for us in many other ways.

1. Which two groups of people took part in Nina Kraus’ study?

A．Noisy people and quiet people.

B．Musicians and non-musicians.

C．Violinists and other musicians.

2. Why are the violinists mentioned (提及) in paragraph 3?

A．To describe what they did in a show.

B．To show how important they are in the study.

C．To better explain why musicians hear more clearly.

3. How does Gottfried Schlaug help stroke patients speak?

A．By playing music for them.

B．By asking them to sing words.

C．By getting them to play an instrument.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Music makes people listen carefully and hear well.

B．Music can be well used in medical research.

C．Music helps with people’s language abilities.

【推荐1】After my husband died from a heart attack, my world changed all in a sudden. I just put all my effort into making a living, caring for the children and just keeping my head above water.

I was lucky to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and in fact I was uncomfortable. Every unusual noise and any late-night phone call would fill me with fear. I felt unbelievably alone.

One Friday evening, I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd (牧羊犬) on our doorstep. I became worried. Where did this dog come from? Was it safe to let the children play with a strange dog? Finally I let him sleep in the basement (地下室) until the next day, when we could search around the neighborhood for his owner. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.

The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German's owner, but with no results. Saturday night he was still with us and I planned to take the children on a picnic without German. But we were surprised to see him jumping onto the hood (引擎盖) and looking directly into my eyes. No way was he going to be left behind. So he stayed again Sunday night. Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn't come back till the next Friday evening. And again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived.

This repeated every weekend for almost 10 months. Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little stronger and braver; every weekend I enjoyed his company (陪伴). Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back.

I think of him often. He came when I needed him the most and stayed until I was strong enough to go on alone. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how sad and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares.

1. The underlined part in Paragraph 1 means the writer _______.

A．had great difficulty supporting the family

B．couldn't breathe and swim at the same time

C．found it hard to look for a good housekeeper

D．was too heart-broken to take care of her children

2. What conclusion can we draw from the last paragraph?

A．At last the writer came to realize who German's owner was.

B．Being strong enough, the writer didn't miss German any more.

C．German had no choice but to come to the writer's house on weekends.

D．The writer believes that German was sent to her because she was alone.

3. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Homeless Dog

B．We Are Not Alone

C．Every Dog Has Its Day

D．German, Our Pet Dog

【推荐2】As is known to all, “No farmers, no food.” Well, we now have a new day of celebration, the Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival. It’s the first in China created especially for farmers.

“The Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival falls on the Auturnnal Equinox each year, starting in 2018,” said Han Changfu, the Minister of Agriculture.

The Auturnnal Equinox is one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. This year, the Auturnnal Equinox falls on September 23, one day before the Mid-autumn Festival. It gives people in the city a great chance to travel to the countryside, enjoy the beautiful scenery and celebrate the harvest with farmers. Although climates and crops are different in many parts of China, the harvest time is usually in autumn. This is why the government decided to celebrate this festival on the Auturnnal Equinox.

As a major agricultural country, China has the largest number of farmers in the world. And it can produce a large number of agricultural products every year. “I’m sure the festival will become one of the most popular and most important ones around the world,” Han said.

Shen Jianhua, a university professor, says farmers should have a special festival since they have made great contributions to our country. Setting up the festival can improve the position of farmers, increase their self-esteem (自尊) and create an environment where they are respected and valued.

1. Why does Chinese government create such a festival?

A．To improve the position of farmers.	B．To show the gratefulness to farmers,
C．To increase farmers’ self-esteem.	D．All above.

2. Which day is the Mid-autumn Festival in 2018?

A．September 24th.	B．September 22nd.
C．September 23rd.	D．the same day as the Auturnnal Equinox.

3. The festival is held on the Auturnnal Equinox because ________ at that time.

A．it’s neither hot nor cold	B．most crops are harvested
C．people are not very busy	D．farmers want to have a rest

4. Which is the best title of this passage?

A．The Agriculture of China	B．The Auturnnal Equinox
C．The Chinese Farmers	D．The Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival

【推荐3】“Mom, I dreamed about you all night. I dreamt that you had come back to me, but I know you are gone...” says a post-80s girl named Lulu in a Sina Weibo post(微博帖子) on May 10th   of this year 2020 — also the 107th Mother’s Day in the world.

Lulu has been “talking”   to her deceased(已故的) mother through her microblog for the past eight years. Her act has moved millions of Chinese netizens(网 民), Xinhua reported last Tuesday. The girl from Shenyang posted the first message to her mother on June 3, 2012, just over a week after her mother passed away. “I will keep talking to you until I leave the world,”   Lulu wrote. Since then, she keeps updating(更新) her post almost every day, expressing how she deeply misses her mother and also shares something about her daily life. Lulu said it’s her way to “keep in touch”   with her mother, as she used to talk with her three to four times a day when she was alive.

During the past eight years, she has posted over 3,600 messages and got 865,830 followers so far. One Internet user said, “Every post moves me to tears, and thank you for reminding more people to value each day we have with our mother.” some of them said this is the most touching microblog ever. Lulu said she was pleased that her microblog made more people know about their filial(孝顺的) duties and she hopes young people could take more time to be with their parents.

根据短文内容选择最佳答案，正确的选A，错误的选B。
1. Lulu has been “talking” to her deceased mother through her microblog for the past 8 years in Sohu Weibo post.
2. The girl from Shenyang posted her first message to her mother just over seven days after her mother passed away.
3. Lulu keeps updating her post almost every day to express how she deeply misses her mother and also shares something about her daily life.
4. Lulu’s actions influence many netizens, and many of them said this is the most touching microblog ever.
5. The story shows us the moving love from mother and reminds us to value each day we have with her.